I wonder what causes excessive bitterness in my beer ( actually, I am not using too much bittering hops):
2.not skimming off the foam/crud that rises to the top during rapid ferment;
Comments, suggestions appreciated. Thanks. I B
I'm not an all grain brewer, but I know that if you boild the grain then that will leach tanins which then causes haze problems in your beer. Not sure whether or not this will cause problems with bitterness or not though.....
Your wort can sit in primary for much longer than 5-6 days. Some people report leaving in primary for a month+ with no ill effects. Myself the longest I have left my wort in primary is 3 weeks and this has not effect the beer in any negative ways!
Agani, not an AG brewer, but when I boil my extracts I never remove he 'scum' from the surface. I just wait for the hot break and again there is no problems.
How long are you boiling your hops for? This will have some effect as well as the amount!
Only the first one is a possibility, except it may have been during the sparge, not the mash. You don't want the water above 76C for the sparge. 70C is actually at the upper end of conversion temps.
What grains are you using, and what water salts, if any, are you adding?
The other possibility is over sparging, as the grain bed can become to alkaline. Most brewers stop the sparge when runnings get down to
1.010 on the hydrometer, adjusted of course for temp. I personally avoid this by doing a batch sparge.John S.
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If it is tannin, it should be more "astringent" than "bitter." Astringent is more of a feeling than a taste ... it sorta makes you want to pucker or you sorta feel it on the roof of your mouth. While what you describe above can extract tannins, not too many folks really report it being a problem. Boiling the grains (like in a decoction) definitely causes astringency and is one reason for the long lagering periods for decocted beers.
Most folks in these groups don't believe that will make much difference. In the few tests I've seen people do, it is only a VERY SLIGHT difference and is not necessarily better one way or the other.
This will not increase bitterness at all. You can leave in primary for a couple of months without any bad effects.
One thing... certain minerals in water can cause the hops to extract more bitterness (google for it or look in
Bottom line, if it really is bitterness and not astringency, cut your boiling hops amount in half and see what happens.
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